Don't Pass Me By
by ladyofanarchy
Summary: NOT AU! A new couple with a child of their own moves in next to child John Lennon. Will this new found friendship between John and Mattie change as they grow up? Will it be much more? Can Beatlemania and a hectic schedule breakup a friendship of so long? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Don't Pass Me By

Author: isaywhy

Rating: PG for right now

Starring: John and The Beatles, Mattie Jones (OC)

Timeframe: 1944 +

Disclaimer: Everything is fiction and I sadly don't own the Beatles.

Plot: A new couple with a child of their own moves in next to child John Lennon. Will this new found friendship between John and Mattie change as they grow up? Will it be much more? Can Beatlemania and a hectic schedule breakup a friendship of so long? Only time will tell.

* * *

A large moving van was now on its third day in front of the same house on Menlove Avenue. The neighborhood of Menlove was very small and quaint, therefore everyone who lived there knew each other's business. A short stone faced woman watched the movers lug the many different pieces of furniture and odds and ends.

"Americans I hear, hmph."

She scoffed, talking to know one in particular as the only other person in the room with her was a child. The young boy, barely four years old, laid on his belly on top the floor and drawing with a few crayons that looked worn out. He ignored his Aunt's rants and raves; he became used to it as she was always ranting and raving about something.

After a rough total of three and a half days, the moving van was never seen again. The new additions to the neighborhood had moved everything into their new home and the wife was already laying laundry out on the clothes line as her young daughter played in the clothes basket. It was later that evening before dinner that the new family would introduce themselves to the rest of the neighborhood.

"Oh, what could they want?"

The old woman peered out her living room window as she got up quickly out of her seat.

"John, make yourself proper!"

The doorbell rang.

"Hello, we're the Jone's. I'm Elizabeth, this is James"

Elizabeth gently patted her husband's arm with her free hand while in the other she held their daughter.

"And this is little Mattie."

The one year old Mattie rested her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Mhm, a pleasure. I'm Mimi and this is John."

Mimi gestured beside her to an invisible child.

"JOHN!"

She yelled, causing the family at the door to take a step back. A scruffy little boy who looked like he tried to make himself up to look better, ran over next to his Aunt.

"Sorry Auntie Mimi."

The little boy said quietly while looking up at the strangers at their door step. Mattie sat up in her mother's arm to look at the new person who joined in and reached one of her small hands out to him.

The next morning James Jones went to work and Liz and Mattie spent the nice sunny day outside in their backyard. John too was outside in his own backyard that was right next to the Jone's but separated by a short fence.

John peeked over it.

"Hi ."

Liz looked up and over at the small voice called to her and smiled when she saw it was the little boy from last night.

"Hello John, how are you?"

John didn't answer. Instead he shuffled his feet in place and played with the weeds that grew along the wooden planks of the fence.

"Can I play with Mattie?"

Liz smiled again, "Of course you can darling. Come over and I'll get you some lemonade, I just made some. Look after her while I go get it, yeah?"

And John did. He sat next to baby Mattie who smiled at him, remembering him from last night.

"Can she walk yet?"

John asked Liz who was in the kitchen right by the entrance to the backyard.

"A bit she does. She's still a bit wobbly."

John reached his hands out to hold Mattie's.

"I'll teach you."

John smiled down at the little girl and pulled her up on her feet and guided her around the backyard. Liz watched the two from the kitchen window smiling. This was going to be a special friendship between the two, she just knew it.


	2. Chapter 2

Mattie sat on the top step of her house, dreading the first day of school. The five year old was told everything would be alright but they were adults and just like John always said to her, "Grownups are nothing but gits!"

"What you still doin' 'ere Mattie?"

John came out of his front door dressed in his school uniform minus the hat, which he carried in his bag. Mattie looked over in her friend's direction, on the verge of tears.

"I don't want to go!"

The little girl yelled with a hint of a Liverpool accent. She immediately dropped her head in her hands and began to cry. John ran over and sat next to her on the steps and wrapped his arm around her.

"I know school blows but it's nothin' tah cry about."

She slowly lifted her head out of her hands, her red eyes looking up at him. John Lennon, the neighbor boy who was eight years old and her hero. After a bit of convincing her that everything was in fact going to fine and if by some chance it wasn't, he'd beat the skulls in to whoever ruined her day; John walked her to her first day of school and would for the rest of the school year, to and from.

On a light rainy evening, Mattie sat up in her tree house her father built for her and John, who wanted to climb into the sky and jump on the clouds to get to the man in the moon but settled for a tree house instead two summers ago. With lots of blankets on the floor of the tree house, Mattie laid under a few while reading a book with a candle.

Every time Mattie tried to read, she would be distracted from the yells and slamming of things over at her friend's house. She put her book aside and peaked out the small window of the tree house to look at John's house; most of all the lights were on, shadow figures going back and forth between window light and definitely three separate voices of what sounded like Aunt Mimi, a man and another window. While she starred at the curtained windows, she didn't noticed a black figured John sneaking out the back of his Aunties house, jumping the fence into her yard and climbing up into the tree house.

"Thought I'd find you 'ere."

John half whispered, scaring Mattie who jumped and turned around.

"What's going on in there?"

Mattie asked staring at him with poor light; she couldn't see his face. Reaching for her candle, Mattie cradle the flame with her hand, sheltering it from the random breezes and crawled over to him. Now in semi better light, Mattie say his red eyes and wet cheeks and she was horrified.

"John why are you crying? You never cry!"

Her five year old mind said in amazement, still too young to have a sensitive side to her just yet.

"Shut up Mattie!"

He yelled at her and wrapped his arms around her tightly which startled her and caused her to drop her candle, extinguishing the flame with a thud. Confused and scared, Mattie wrapped her arms around him too, as he silently sobbed in her shoulder.

When calmness resumed in John, the two laid in the blankets and John tried to explain to her what had happened.

"You don't have to go. You can't go."

Mattie said, who now had tears forming in her eyes.

"Are you bonkers? I'm not going!"

John's real father and mother had paid a visit to Auntie Mimi and John, wanting him, but it was deeper than that; they didn't want him together but apart. John was to choice between his mother and his father, two people who were mere strangers to him.

John grabbed Mattie's hand and held tight to it, as did she.

"When we get older, you 'an me will leave this place and never look back."


	3. Chapter 3

It was 1957 and Liverpool had been hit with the biggest snow drop yet. Cars parked on the streets and driveways were covered except for the very few that their owners had spent hours freezing as they unburied them.

((Insert CH3 #1 photo))

"JOHN!"

Mattie screamed as John giggled and ran after a gigantic snowball smacked her in the face. Fourteen year old Mattie and brand new seventeen year old John were about a block away from their homes after walking through the many snow mounds after school.  
Mattie continued to walk toward their street, wiping what she could of the snow on her face. Passing an electric pole that John was hiding behind waiting for her to pass, he jumped out and grabbed her; she screamed and he cracked up laughing.

"Relax Mattie! 'ave some fun why dontcha."

He said to her as he shook her a bit with his arm around her shoulders. She ignored him as they approached their houses and nodded in his houses direction.

"You're mums here."

John looked where she was nodding. His mother's car was parked in front of Aunt Mimi's house. Automatically John and Mattie joined hands knowing that this could either be good or bad but most likely bad since it usually always was. She squeezed his hand reassuringly and the two headed to their homes.

Mattie's home was the first one. They both stopped in front of the front gate looking at each other, still gripping hands, not wanting to let go. She gave his hand one last squeeze for good luck and let go. She reached for his head and snatched his hat before turning to open the gate and run inside. Just about a good five minutes passed when she decided to let her mother know she was home from school. She found her mother in the kitchen preparing supper for later that night.

"Hey Mum, I'm home."

Hands covered in dough, Liz turned her head to greet her daughter.

"Care to help?"

Mattie was already walking away.

"Not right now, I have to return John's hat that he dropped."

Her plan to see what was going on in the house next door was in play and she was now ringing Aunt Mimi's doorbell with John's hat between her mittened fingers. Expecting the old witch to open the door, Mattie was a bit taken back when it was Julia, John's mother, who answered the door instead. She didn't mind Julia that much, in fact, she preferred her over John's Aunt Mimi. Mattie had a hunch that Julia's reason for visiting was to tell Aunt Mimi, her sister, that she wanted John to move in with her.

"Hello Mattie love, look how beautiful you've gotten."

Julia smiled a sincere smile at the young girl and opened the door wider while moving aside to let her in.

"Hi . I was just returning John's hat – he dropped it walking home from school."

Mattie told Julia as her eyes darted every which way for any sign of John; if he was distressed, crying, angry, anything, any noise at all to let her know he was okay or if he needed her.

"He's upstairs in his room. Go on up."

But before Julia could finish her sentence, Mattie was already running up the stairs, two steps at a time to John's room. When she got to his door, she opened it without knocking just like she always did. John was sitting on his bed, fiddling with a banjo that she had never seen him with before.

"Is everythin' okay? What the 'ell is that?"

Curious Mattie asked John as she plopped on his bed next to him.

"Mum brought it over today. She's been teachin' me some chords an' shit when she comes 'round."

Mattie nodded as she scanned the instrument in his hands.

"Is that all she wanted was to give you a guitar?"

John didn't want to respond, but her eyes were piercing his skin for answers.

"She wants me to move in with her an' Bobby an' me sisters."

Mattie bit her bottom lip.

"Are you?"

John shrugged his shoulders.

"It'd be nice.."

Mattie punched him in the shoulder before getting up and running out of the room, down the steps and out of the house.


End file.
